Reference no: EM133088301

Leading project performance management

Objectives

• Discuss the problems with managing project scope.
• Apply techniques to manage project schedule control.
• Apply earned value management techniques to evaluate project budget status.
• Set goals and discuss the importance of performance planning.
• Discuss a range of reprimand techniques.
• Understand and control the problem of scope creep on projects

Discussion Questions
Write your response to the question(s) provided and then discuss with others.

Question 11.1 - Controlling project scope
Read the passage below and answer the following questions:
• What typical problems is this project likely to experience?
• Discuss any project control measures which may prevent or minimise failures such as this.
Over seven years in the making, Australia's new Parliament House at Canberra is actually a suite of buildings costing about A$982 million. The complex will consist of 5000 rooms, 40,000 items of furniture, 50,000 square meters of stonework, 7350 doors, and 170,000 square meters of drywall. At its busiest point, the complex was costing A$1.2 million per working day. Given the immensity of the project, the information systems to control its design, construction and furnishings were equally extensive (Meredith & Mantel, 2009, p.494).

Question 11.2 -Control schedule
Complete the following:
• Download file from moodle - 11 tutorial 11.2 baseline gantt.mpp
• On the View menu, click Gantt Chart, and locate the Schedule group.
• In the Task Name field, select the tasks you want to update. You can select them individually or as a group. To select non-adjacent tasks, hold down CTRL, and then click the tasks. To select adjacent tasks, hold down SHIFT, and then click the first and last task to update. For this activity we will set each task individually. Select task A.
• In the Schedule group, click Mark on Track, click Update Tasks. A dialogue box similar to the following will appear (depending on the dates these may vary).

• In the Update Tasks dialogue box, locate the % Complete field and enter 100%, and click OK. Repeat this process for tasks B and C. Your Gantt chart should appear like the illustration below. Note the completion tick on the LH column. This is known as the updating the task's progress as a percentage technique.

• There are many others ways to do this. Alternatively you can use the % complete buttons in the Schedule group. Select task D and click the 50% complete button. Repeat the task for task E.
• To view your Tracking Gantt chart click View menu, click Tracking Gantt.
• Assume task F is falling behind schedule and is only 25% complete. Update this task and review your Tracking Gantt chart.

Question 11.3 - Earned value management
Refer to the EVM data provided and answer the following questions:
• Assume you have completed three months of the project. The budget at completion (BAC) was $200,000 for this six-month project.
• How is the project doing? Is it ahead of schedule or behind schedule? Is it under budget or over budget?
• Review the estimate at completion (EAC) figure for this project. Is the project performing better or worse than planned?
• Review the schedule performance index (SPI) figure for this project. How long it will take to finish this project

Question 11.4 - Earned value management - CV and SV
In month 9 the following information is available: actual cost (AC) is $2,000, earned value (EV) is $2,100 and planned value (PV) is $2,400.
Answer the following questions:
• Compute the cost variance (CV) and the schedule variance (SV) for the project.

Question 11.5 - Earned Value Management - SV, CV, SPI and CPI
On day 51 a project has an EV of $600, and AC of $650, and a PV of $560.
Answer the following questions:
• Compute the SV, CV, CPI and SPI for the project.
• What is your assessment of the project on day 51?

Question 11.6 - Setting Goals
Answer the following questions (write the first thing that comes to mind):
• If you were given 3 wishes for anything what would you wish for?
• If you won a million dollars how would you spend it?
• If you had only 6 months to live what would you do?
• If you could accomplish anything in the world, what would you do?

Complete the following tasks:
• Write down two educational goals and two personal goals. List the steps needed to do to accomplish each goal.
• Identify a short, intermediate, and long-term career goal. Then list the steps needed to reach each goal.
• Share your ideas on setting educational goals with other students. How do these ideas compare with those suggested in the literature? Refer to - Performance Improvement Plans (see Week 11 lecture).
Question 11.7 - Reprimands
You are dissatisfied with the general level of performance of one of your team members. The quality of work is below your expectations. How will you deal with this? How do your ideas compare with those suggested in the literature by Fairweather (2014).Refer to - Reprimands (see Week 11 lecture).

Question 11.8 -Case Study
Read the case study Child Support Software a Victim of Scope Creep and answer the following questions.
• What do you think are the real problems with this project?
• Refer to - ‘Control Scope' (see Week 11 lecture). Which of Hartley's (2009) techniques could be applied to manage the scope creep on this project?

Case Study - Child Support Software a Victim of Scope Creep

Attachment:- project performance management.rar